NFL Week 1 Roundup: who has the best and worst defense?
The first NFL week is over and now we know a lot more about teams' offenses and defenses.
The Monday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Las Vegas Raiders finished 33-27, in what may be the best game of the year, and surely the craziest, to conclude the inaugural round of the 2021-22 NFL season.
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After the Ravens defense allowed the Raiders to come back from a 14 points deficit, it is only fair to analyze the best and the worst defenses of Week 1, starting with the worst.
NFL Week 1 Worst Defense
Jacksonville Jaguars
If you want to be a competitive team, you cannot allow almost 300 yards and two touchdowns for an average quarterback like Tyrod Taylor.
Also, you cannot let a team that always says they want to run, run, run, rather than pass, run for 160 yards.
It is also unforgivable to give 37 points to arguably the worst roster in the NFL.
If Urban Meyer and the Jaguars want respect in the NFL, they will have to change many things from Week 1 to Week 2.
Honorable Mentions
New York Giants
Teddy Bridgewater is an average QB, but the Giants' D made him look elite.
Green Bay Packers
The offense, especially Aaron Rodgers, did not help at all. But giving up less than 150 passing yards while allowing Jameis Winston to throw 5 TDs is unforgivable.
NFL Week 1 Best Defense
Pittsburgh Steelers
In the NFL, there is something you should not doubt, Mike Tomlin. The Steelers' head coach never had a losing season, and he has coached the Pittsburgh team since 2007.
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, reasons for that is his defense.
On Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers defense showed up big time. Bills' QB Josh Allen was in the MVP talks last season; he seemed frightened and uncomfortable in this game, airmailing balls over wide-open receivers, skidding other passes into the dirt, and fumbling, resembling his rookie version.
That's because TJ Watt and company dominated every aspect of the game. The Steelers' defense had eight quarterback hits; Watt had five. The Steelers also sacked Allen three times (Watt twice and Cameron Heyward once) and had five tackles for loss (Cameron Sutton twice, Melvin Ingram III, Watt and Heyward once each).
With such a dominant performance by the defense, the Bills never really had a chance of winning.
Honorable Mentions
Arizona Cardinals
Chandler Jones had five sacks coming back from injury, tying a franchise record, and the Cardinals defense held Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, AJ Brown and Julio Jones to only 13 points.
New Orleans Saints
It does not matter if Aaron Rodgers played poorly on purpose or if his turbulent offseason made him rustier than usual. The Saints' defense held the Green Bay Packers to only three points, which was unexpected and shocking.
Also Check Out: Complete NFL Week 2 TV Schedule